


Tickle-Me-Pink

by Stephicness



Series: Ardyn and Tabby [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Headcanon, Parent-Child Relationship, Prequel, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-17 12:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9322679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stephicness/pseuds/Stephicness
Summary: A special gift for the little one and tears Ardyn wasn't anticipating from the little girl. He couldn't help but wonder just why the little girl was so grumpy that day.





	

The day started off reasonably well – another day of exploring the city. With her mother gone once again to tend to some work and visit one of her many suitors, the little girl was allowed to sneak out with Squishy following after to visit the red-haired man where he usually sat every day: the bench in the plaza where he would sit and read while drinking his coffee. She ran to him, seeing that today he hadn’t been reading with a newspaper. Instead, he stood there waiting, hands behind his back and a smirked on his face.

She eyed him suspiciously, advancing closer. But before she could escape, the red-haired man scooped her up into his arms, blowing a raspberry on her cheek with that loud and rather strange noise in hopes of provoking a squeal of laughter from her. The man couldn’t help but grin knowing he did just that. “Ardy, stop that!”

Ardyn merely laughed in response as he grinned mischievously at the little girl. “Each and every time, it’s always so satisfying hearing you laugh afterwards.” She put her hand on his face and playfully pushed him back. He shook his head as his chuckles died down, but he soon held up a brightly wrapped package to her. “A gift for you, little one.”

The little girl’s eyes widened at the package after Ardyn set her back onto her feet. She looked at him as if to get his approval to open it. _As if._ She ended up tearing through the wrapping so fast even Ardyn gaze a surprised look, half expecting she’d at least admire the orange wrapping he had done for her. Oh well. The look on her face when she held up the cat stuffed animal. Black fur and green eyes, and clad in an orange textile tailcoat. The little girl’s eyes brightened even more as she clutched the toy to her chest. “T-This is for me…?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“But… I can have this? This is a gift?”

Ardyn nodded in response. Odd for her to question something as simple as a gift. The people he usually encountered were a lot less questioning about it, and surely a lot less humble. But as he watched the little girl, he noticed her shoulders beginning to tremble, lip quivering, tears starting to roll down his face. Oh god. Was the gift that bad? Ardyn’s eyes widened, the man quickly digging into his coat pocket for a handkerchief to wipe away the tears. But he was nearly knocked off his feet as he felt the red-head run up to him and throw her arms around the man’s leg. He could feel her tears staining his shirt his stomach as she hid in his coat and embraced him.

“I-I really like him…! I forgive you.”

“I assumed that you would.” The man’s gaze relaxed as a smile crossed his lips. He wrapped his coat around her to hide her teary face and hug her in return.

“I get to name him too, right?”

Ardyn raised an eyebrow in response. “Of course. Why wouldn’t you be the one to give him a name?”

The little girl nodded, looking down at the stuffed cat before she hugged it as tight as she could. “I’m going to name him Meowdyn Kitzunia!”

Well… He supposed he shouldn’t argue about a name change. Her and her obsession with felines seemed to be unwavering, after all…

And so, the two went about their day, the usual rounds about the city to collect food from the small stalls the lined the streets before Ardyn had plans with the little curly-haired cat girl: to buy her something other than that ratted blue dress she always wore. It always seemed as if her mother was never about and neglects the poor thing. Clothes always so ratted and worn-out, always covered in dirt or some sort of sugary food – and yet, she always was smiling, so bright, so lively, so innocent. Ardyn’s expression softened as he watched the little red-head running up and down the streets, admiring all the crafts and treats and eagerly tugging Ardyn along with her.

He made it his plan that day to buy her the new clothing that she needed, to spoil the little angel with money that he’s collected over these many years. A good deed after millennia of terrible ones. Balance out the bad with some good, he supposed. That’s how sins were forgive after all, right? He didn’t quite know himself. Now, he was just too busy realizing that in that instance, the little girl had stopped in front of a store window. Big brown eyes shined bright like stars as they twinkled at the display in the window. A pastel green dress, ruffles around the collar with lace designs on the bust. There was a lace trip around the hem of the dress. It was clean and beautifully tailored, and the way the little girl’s gaze brightened brought a smile onto his face.

Well, he knew what to get her now.

“Did you see something you like, little one?” Ardyn eyed the little girl as she looked back at him. She seemed surprised that the man had called her out for her sudden distractions.

“N-No… I was just looking. That’s all.” She hung her head before she gestured to Squishy to follow her as she began to trek along again. Well, until Ardyn scooped her up by her waist, picking her up into his arms. “Ah! Put me down, right now!”

“Not until you stop lying to me.” He kissed her cheek, only to blow against it and making a rather loud and obnoxious sound from it.

“I wasn’t lying!” She yelped in surprise and began squirming as giggles escaped from her and Ardyn began to poke at her sides and blow against her cheek. “Stop that! That tickles! Squishy, help me…!” Of course, that was to no avail. The cat just stared with lazy blue eyes before it wandered off for a moment to get someone to pet it.

The gestures persisted even after the little girl made a scene, laughing so loudly that passersby and the shopkeeper glanced at the two troublemakers. The two loudest ones in the market, like usual, but it was still a precious sight, seeing that the little girl wasn’t alone anymore. They finally glanced away when the child shrieked. “Okay, I’ll tell you! Now stop before I get Squishy to eat you!” Ardyn gave a victorious grunt before he set the pouting little girl down. She was quiet for a moment before she squeezed the stuffed cat tighter as Squishy rubbed against her leg. “I really like the dress…”

“And…?”

“…Mama told me we don’t have the money to get pretty dresses. She told me that if I kept asking about it, then I would never get it. Because the Astrals don’t like whiny children. If I made the Astrals mad, then they wouldn’t ever let Mama get me anything nice.”

Ardyn couldn’t help but frown before he looks back at the window display again. Lying to a child… With how much time she spends with those ‘suitors’ of hers, the child’s mother could be at least collecting enough money to do _something_ for her daughter. Especially when it seemed like the little one always did their best to keep the home together and clean while her mother was always away. When was the last time the little girl even got to see her mother for more than a day…?

Ardyn let out a small sigh, gently guiding the little one closer to hug her. She was small enough to hide in his trenchcoat, covered up and protected by it as he gently rubbed her back. He wanted to be able to make it so that the little child wouldn’t have to think that way. That it wasn’t alright to complain about things, to question them. To be subordinated and depicted as someone without thoughts or ideas, without emotions… He was already doomed enough in the past with that fate: to do what needed to be done for the sake of a higher power. And where did that lead him? It left him bitter, spiteful, fueled with a plan to end those that wronged him. He knew what hatred bred, and to have a child filled with the notions that she had to stand aside and do nothing? To desire nothing? To just obey and suffer in silence? The red-haired man could feel his face twist into a frown. No child so innocent should ever be subjugated to that kind of pain. Especially not a kid and hardworking child like she was.

“It’s alright, little one. The Astrals won’t be stopping me from-“

_PLFFFFFFT._

The man couldn’t help but jolt, perhaps shouting _‘Good god!’_ a bit too loudly as people looked over at the red-haired man. Ardyn’s heartbeat raced as he opened his arms and coat to look down. There was the child, peeking her head out from under his shirt and looking at him with an innocent stare. Cheeks were huffed out for a moment before she couldn’t suppress the grin that crept onto her face.

Did she just _raspberry_ him? Ardyn blinked in surprise, stunned into silence as she giggled and began to start bounding off. _She just raspberried him._ And he was genuinely caught off guard by it. Was this a ruse?

“I gotcha! I finally got you back! I know we were being sad, but I had an opening. And we took it! Right, Squishy?” The little girl triumphantly put her hands on her hips and laughed, kneeling and holding her hand out to Squishy. The cat, on command, put its paw in her hand in return. “Good job, Squishy!”

Oh, this cheeky little girl… He would have to put the dress in the window in the back of his mind for now. But he wouldn’t be bested by a child, no matter how much of a darling she was. Ardyn rolled up his sleeves as he began to march to her. “Once I catch you, I’m not going to be nice and let you go, little one. _Run._ ”

The little girl screamed with laughter, turning around and scooping up Squishy and Meowdyn before she began to take off, Ardyn in pursuit behind her. Yes… Perhaps the world was a cruel place, and one that the little one would have to one day encounter. But for now, innocent moments like this was something that she deserved.

And something that Ardyn found himself cherishing as well.


End file.
